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Show ALLIES PONDER RUSSinPLIGHT Lack of Reliable News From Tortured Land Is Great Handicap. Absence of Any Reasonable Reason-able Representative Also Disturbing Factor. (N'siv York Tlnios-Chlcaso Tribune Cable. Copyright.) LO.VDON, D?c. 19. Public attention horo liae suddenly swunff around to PliiHHla and tho chances of the allies' being obliged to undertake military operations to restore order In that much-tortured land. So far there has been no authoritative authori-tative Btatement on the matter, although Vl iiiiton Churchill, during his election campaign at lmndee, maintained that Kris! and could not desert her friends in Russia, as without her protection they "would get their throats cut by the Bol-(jhvlki, Bol-(jhvlki, who hated them like poison." However, the Chronicle will publish an article "from a special correspondent," which suggents thnt some definite decision may he reached in the near future. It ways: "The situation in Russia is causing pr.-at anxiety in official circles," and then points out the extreme difficulty of getting get-ting any reliable information. All that is coming out now by wireless through Denmark Den-mark and .Sweden, it maintains.' is Hcanty, unreliable and heavily censored, and the most recent news that can he absolutely accepted Is two months old and comes first hand from people who have made their escape. The Chronicle correspondent then dwells on the sorrow of the prisons and maasacruH and says: "It may bo asked how It Is that with such horrors going on the Bolsheviks maintain their power. The answer is that It ts a question either of adhering nominally nom-inally to tho party In power or being htn rved to death. No food can be obtained ob-tained from any other source, and there are thousands of officers in the Bolshevik army as an alternative to dying of hun-ipr. Bolsheviki Invasion. "Rut the story of the great Bolshevik army of three millions Is not credited ih this country. The most reliable information informa-tion puts the number at ISO.noo, scattered scat-tered all over the former Russian empire. em-pire. There is, however, a probability that an attempt will be made to increase this force, with a view to the invasion of other parts of liuropo in order to spread the principles of Bolshevism, it nhouid be remembered that Poland is now in a very disturbed atate and almost defenseless. de-fenseless. There would, therefore, be lit-, lit-, tie difficulty in the way of a force ol' Jfolshevlks marching into Germany, in which country a large amount of propaganda propa-ganda work has been carried on during the last year. "If the Ideas of the Bolsheviks are carried car-ried out in their entirety, Europe, in the opinion of diplomatic circles, is faced with a danger as grave as was the invasion in-vasion of Genghis Khan or Tamerlane: nor Is it easy to say off-hand what should La done to counteract tills menace. Intervention Costly. "The late elections have reveaied In gome parts of the country a considerable amount of sympathy with the Bolshevik government in Russia, and it is certain thnt intervention by the allies on a largo scale would be hotly debated and criticised. criti-cised. It is fortunate President Wilson is now in Europe, so that this important matter can be discussed by all the allies. It would be advantageous if some line of policy could be decided upon by other nations in common, so that the problem could be jointly tackled." The opposition to intervention in Russia, Rus-sia, to which the Chronicle's correspondent correspond-ent refers, was varied by the Manchester Guardian this morning. It took the view that Admiral Koltschak, who seized control con-trol of the Omsk government, and Sem-enoff, Sem-enoff, the cossack leader, are fighting "not for Russia, still less for the allies, hut for their own hands," and as "even now drafts of British troops, men who volunteered to fight the Germans and de- f-nd liberty, are being ordered out to Si- j ber:a to liht the battles of tin: Kolts' itaks I and rnf-nofT's. if liit: JlrUisii kuv Miim-nt j dof-s not stop this dira'-eful adventure , of Its own accord, it will tind it will soon j be stopped for it." j Chaos Permanent. ' The Westminster Gazette was, during the war, Monti y maintaining that the 1 Ti"--fsi ly of preventing Germany from gaining control of Uula was an un-i un-i urifwerrible argument against a pn'tnu-1 pn'tnu-1 lure peace. U is now anxious al'Ot i England's, commitments in that r.-gk.n. : It ftars he may drift Into "a .serif of i costlv, chronic and indecisive expeditions I in various parts of Hussia, or at best to I a permanent occupation, with 1art,'e bodies i troops, of various I'.ussian provinces." I Moreover, it tays the allies "have hither- to banked on the probability that the ! Bolshevik regime would be short-lived and another ad mlnisira i ion would come on the scene, with which they could deal rationally and settle up the whole entanglement, en-tanglement, but afb:r fourteen months 1 they must at least reckon with the possibility possi-bility that Bolshevism will. In some form, he permanent In Russia, and make up their minds what they are going to do if tnat proves to be the case." One of the most disturbing factors In the situation is the entire absence of any person or assembly which has the smallest small-est reason to claim the rlht to speak for KiiKsia as a whole. From the highest auihorilv it is learned that this is causing caus-ing much concern to the British government. govern-ment. It is most desirous that Russia should be fully represented at the peace conference, but it docs not know where to turn to find authoritative representa- i lives. l |
